December 19, 2013 - The nose reminds me of driving through wine country during fermentation season, which I love. Jammy black fruits with a nice spice to it. Not too complex and a little hot on the finish but I enjoyed the experience overall.
April 30, 2012 - Exhibits the characteristics described below. Very pleasing but could still age 3 or more years
March 31, 2012 - Nice petite Syrah. Full of fruit and nice change of pace
June 1, 2011 - Not offensive, just boring.
October 13, 2010 - decanted for at least an hour before, drinking very nicely..still wound pretty tight so think it could last for another 5yr min. bu was very nice deep dark chocolate flavors and cherry throughout was great with the steak and ribs.. works incredibly well with the deeper flavors.
March 13, 2010 - Good but is lacking a sharpness
December 23, 2009 - This is a good wine with good properties. A little rough around the edges and uneventful.
September 29, 2009 - Served with homemade pizza. This bottle was a bit raisin-y.
January 3, 2009 - 1 hour decant before tasting. Food Pairing: med-rare ribeye. Color: deep purple, inky, ruby red around the edges. Very viscous, bubbles that formed on top when wine was poured from decanter take a very long time to pop. Smell: Jammy, woody, grapeskin. Very light oak, a spicy note like saffron, cranberries. Taste: rich mouthfeel that coats teeth and lips with a dark purple stain - very nice, jammy grape skins, pine, but the fruit is very subdued. Not very oaky. Finish is kind of short and features acidity balanced against not much else. Old-world style winemaking with new-world grapes not a match? Rutherford usually produces very ripe, fruity wines (cabs particularly), but this exhibits little of both.
September 3, 2008 - 30-min decant; Inky purple color with grape-juice bubble frizzing on top; Smells like an Aussie Shiraz- grape bubble gum exploding on the bouquet; sadly, not too much else coming through - definitely an oak component and perhaps a touch of red pepper powder (cayenne) on the end; this would probably open-up more given time. This is very heavy, intense and over-the-top on the palate, bringing gobs of blackberry and a hint of sour blueberry that leads to the slightly bitter black current finish (too short on the primary side, long in the lingering). This is a tad too oak-driven for my taste; also a tad 1-dimensional. The mouthfeel is very creamy and rich, which I do like. Mostly, this wine reminds me of the '05 Kilikanoon Shiraz Testament I recently opened, fairly good when drunk alone, but lacking with food. I wouldn't recommend for the price I paid.